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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-01-13, Page 8Page 8 Times -Advocate, January 13, 1993 14 ,neer plowing OWV crops ■ GODERICH - :It ,itivi- ous the4anners of !limn County have h e-iough year. Thursday in Goderich at the Hu- ron County Council meeting, :.it' was brought forth during. the Ag- riculture, Planning and Develop- ment committee .report that well over half of the crops in the caiikty, were covered by crop in- attti pt:e. Agriculture representative Bob Humphries reported that . of : the county's 200,000 acres of corn, µiillf of that had crop insu- nsrej ranee. Of the estimated 100,000 acres to nyb as, 75,000 acres were inn mere were 42,000 acres of white beans of which 35,000 were insured. Tom Cunningham of Hullet Township said farmers throughout the county are very concerned about the 1992 crops and said there are communities etting up com miuee Gtggbe issue. "There e:ieg lgrtn.4Itivut short- age of:fundingits a retell of crops not being harvested," he said. Rural conservation clubs are for sharing ideas GUELPH - Agriculture Canada's Rural Conservation Clubs program supports innovative research and demonstration projects in environ- mentally sustainable agriculture practices. The goal is to promote an exchange of ideas within the agri- cultural community, and funding is available to support local clubs and their projects. "Innovation is what we're looking for," says Mike Hicknell, Agricul- ture Canada Development Officer. "We want fresh ideas on sustaina- ble agriculture from the people who will be putting these ideas into practice every day - stakeholders in the agricultural community." Under the Rural Conservation Clubs Program, applicants may consider several broad categories for research or demonstratigp site proposals: manure utilization,'cbver crops, conservation cropping, till- age systems, and wetland, wood- land and wildlife habitat. Other ide- as are also welcome. A selection committee composed of both agri- cultural and environmental stake- holders will evaluate all applica- 4 tions. Agriculture Canada will provide financial support for Ontario farm- ers and conservationists working in partnership to test and exchange new ideas. Financial support will cover up to 50 percent of the cost of conducting these projects. Suc- cessful applicants will provide ma- terials, cash, labour or other "in- kind" services. Province -wide clubs may qualify for up to $50,000 a year, while lo- cal clubs may receive up0 to S20,000 each year. Projects can run for as long as five years. in keeping with the agricultural component of Canada's Green Plan, conservation of our natural resourc- es is essential to the long term pros- perity of Canada's agricultural in- dustry. The Rural Conservation Clubs program is designed to en- courage people to work together and lead the way in environmental- ly sustainable agriculture. Agriculture Canada has applica- tion kits and program information. The first round of applications will be reviewed mid-January. Plowing has to be done whenever pos- sible and Ross and Al Ho Bert were working :up the land on Highway 4, south of Exeter on Friday afternoon. Wet weather has meant many farmers have had to delay their plowing and several, like the Hodgert's were forced to plow their com under. Farm income tax update HURON PARK - Fanners start- ing to think about .the information they tneed to complete their 1992 -tax returns will want to attend the annual Farm Income Tax Update on Wednesday, January 20, 9 a.m. to4 p.m. .at Centralia College, Hu- ron Park. John McNeilly, a chartered ac- couttattin Fretor, plans to cover new topics of concern during this one day seminar, along with in- come regulations and tax account- ing procedures. Estate planning, transfers, and capital transactions are some of the areas McNeilly will outline. In the afternoon, time is available for questions and dis- cussion relating to specific con- cerns regarding your farm income tax retum. Farmers are encouraged to enter freely into the discussions. If you are interested in attending this informative program, please register in advance by phoning the Continuing EducationQoffice at Centralia College, 228-6691 ext. 285. The cost per person is $21.40 which includes lunch. One Foot in the Furrowb I have a Wier here which is un- signed. Generally, I donot quote from letters that are unsigned since they are usually so full of vitriol and li- bel that 1 might get into trouble if I used quotes. I always figure, too, that an unsigned letter comes from a coward, a person who is afraid to reveal his or her identity. My opinions are right here in black and white and my name is on this column. Anyone who wants to get to me can do so by writing to this publication. Usual- ly, these letters are then passed on to me so 1 am right out front with my stuff. But this letter was post -marked from Toronto. As far as I know, no newspaper in Toronto carries this deathless prose so the writer must have read the column while pass- ing through a rural area. It was in response to a recent column on the growth of animal rights groups in North America. In the column, I wrote that many of these people were so fanatic that they could not .even get their facts straight. "Prove it," said the letter. "Tell me of one place where we did not have our facts right, you animal - hating sonovab..." There was more, of course, but much of it cannot be printed in a favorite family journal such as this. So, for the benefit of the writer, let me quote from a couple of sources. First, the fall edition of FAC'S, a publication of the Onta- rio Farm Animal Council, an or- ganization formed to tell the public the real story about farm animals. "Either Animal Alliance of Can- ada can't make up its mind on free range/organic farming, or they are tailoring their messages to fit rural and urban audiences. In an inter- view with the Stratford Beacon - Herald in the spring of 1991, they were quoted as saying "Animal Al- liance prefers a return to the days of free range livestock management where animals are allowed to roam outside of barns and cages." But in a two-page letter distribut- ed in Toronto last fall, they advised consumers to beware of 'free range' and 'organic' meat and eggs" and recommended "if absolutely neces- .aary as a temporary, interim option, purchase 'free range' products with caution..." In yet another incident in Novem- :ber, a group of about 50 animal rightists demonstrated outside Cy - bill Shepherd's home, charging that the actress profits from a cosmetics company that tortures mice when testing products. These protesters, members of Peo- ple for the Ethical Treatment of Ani- mals (PETA), one of the most mili- tant of animal rights' groups, accused the company that Shepherd works for blinding, poisoning and torturing animals to test products. But a spokesman for the company, L'Oreal, said they had stopped test- ing on animals in the United States for more than two years. Another spokesman said the Paris -based company uses animal tests in Eu- rope on less than one percent of their products. Although I have always been skeptical when it comes to big com- pany spokesmen, I am inclined to believe these people because they have too much to lose by lying. I am not an animal hater. I love 'em all, even chickens and turkeys. And especially dogs and horses and cats and cows and... well, I love them all. No farmer in his or her right mind is going to abuse farm animals and the sooner people like PETA understand that, the better off we all will be. Conservation Authority keeps eye on flooding potential EXETER Every day of the year, the Ausable-Bayfield Con- servation Authority keeps alert to flooding potential by gathering and examining detailed in forma- tion from across the watershed. An extensive data collection system - which includes both manually and automatically recorded precipita- tion, wind, temperature and water level measurements; weather radar details; and reports from a meteor- ologist and the MNR"s Stream Flow Forecast Centre - equips the ABCA to keep a daily watch over 2,442 square kilometres on behalf of the watershed's 32 member mu- nicipalities. "It's our responsibility to con- stantly monitor watershed condi- tions and weather forecasts to pre- pare for flood emergency measures," says Alec Scott, Water Resources Manager with the ABCA. If all information collected points to the likelihood of life and property -threatening floods, the Conservation Authority alerts local municipal officials, who in turn pass the word along to residents; by notifying the MNR as well, pro- vincial emergency assistance can be swiftly provided, if required, to those ii.need. Over the past year, the ABCA has conducted a review of its flood forecasting and protection proce- dures, arriving at a cohesive sys- tem that meshes with the MNR's draft Strategic Plan for Flood Fore- casting. "The draft defines the roles and responsibilities of a Con- servation Authority and allows for tlic delegation of more responsibil- Becker Bus Tours Toronto Farm Show (Canadian International Farm Equipment Show) BUS LEAVING FROM EXETER WED. - JAN .20 THURS. JAN. 21 11.1► farms 519-235- or 14100-206 02121 BUICS �1 FARM EQUIPMENT - EXETER, ONTARIO Sales, Service & pentals since 1932 t�2121 1-800.05-21 21 \ 110,41 1=jaliiiI I 1 ity to us, recognizing our knowledge and expertise of local conditions," explains Alec. The draft also sets out standard terminology for ease of communication between the MNR, the Conservation Authorities and member municipalities and defines standard procedures for establishing and operating flood forecasting and warning systems. With its comprehensive informa- tion network, forecasting equipment and expertise, the ABCA is also able to reassure residents who re- cently observed dramatic changes in water levels in early January. Be- tween January 3 and 5, heavy rains caused creeks and rivers to overflow their banks and forced the tempo- rary closure of a number of secon- dary roads throughout the wa- tershed. "In fact, the flood plain is simply serving its function," says Alex. "With proper flood plain man- agement and the sue of the Fill, Construction and Alteration to Wa- terways Regulation prohibiting de- velopment in our flood plains, those areas are free to collect sudden ex- tremes in rainfall and snowmelt without harm to life and property." At the same time, however, ABCA staff continue to monitor conditions on a daily basis and are prepared to issue emergency flood warnings for existing development across the wa- tershed if required. Liseetioa Bayfieidaiaer-t Varna Ausable River at Exeter Ausable River south of Parkhill Parkhill Dam Reservoir level Height above normal water level January 5, 1993 22 metres 1.5 metres 4.9 metres 5.5 metres T GETNER WE CLAN REALLY CLEAN-UP THU 1 �r- II 0 t PITCH -IN PARTNER! IN 1993, TSE BIRD WILL BE EARLIER THAN USUAL. Canada's largest indoor farm show has made a major change. You'll still be able to see the widest range of farm equipment, products and services ever assembled under one roof. You'll still be able to do it for four days. You'll just have to do it a few weeks earlier than usual. JANUARY 19-22,1993 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday th Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fr• y The 1993 CANADIAN INTERNATIONAL FARM EQUIPMENT SHOW Toronto International Caput- 6900 eotrc6900 Airport Road, Tomato. Ontario 4ponw.red b- e• Supported by t).W.f.EA. For more information iontact your Ioc*l farm equipment daer or calf (705)741-2536 r IMP' .- i GE'IE:i r 11 i-lrrrwasina-